Wednesday, July 20, 2005

It happens every year. Yet it still depresses my enthusiasm for gardening. Within a few days my garden goes from something I enjoy looking at to a big disheveled mess. The Shasta daisies die, the spiderwort flops, the white sedum and the feverfew turn brown, and the pink mallow starts its decline--all at the same time. I walk thru all the gardens and I can't find a thing that looks good.

Added to that is the mess I created when I dug out the orange lilies. I went out today to plant the cardinal flowers and as I was digging the hole, I uncovered more lily roots and obedient plant roots--tons of them. I dug for an hour and filled a wheelbarrow to overflowing. You just know I could not possibly have gotten them all, so I will probably have them popping up thru the new flowers I am planting. The two little plants I put in hardly make a dent in the big open space. So now I am stuck with a bare spot for the rest of the season. When will I learn to leave that shovel alone????

From past years, I know that this, too, shall pass. In about a week, there should be a flush of new blooms, and I will feel better about doing so much work in these crazy gardens.

Even the deck is not looking good. I moved things around again and I don't like it. The deck floor is cluttered with spent blooms from my deadheading spree. I don't feel like sweeping it all tonight, so I will just have to live with it for a few more days.

Here is a picture of the newly planted cardinal flower.


3 comments:

  1. Hey Zoey,
    Are we on the same thinking plane? I was just thinking the same thing with my various gardens. Things are pooping out and a lot of what looked nice like the lilies have taken their final bow.
    I always liked marigolds! They are usually hardy and come in such a nice array of colors and sizes from white to dark tangerine. I actually planted some more marigolds a few weeks ago in a front bed because they are the colorful troopers that last into the fall.
    Good luck with your cardinal flowers. Mine is very tall but not blooming yet. It's next to a few moonflower vines on a trellis that look straggly.
    The zinnias are what's keeping me happy right now. : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. My Shasta daisies are dying too. Is that normal for this time of year? I thought that they were gone for good.

    I've learned to appreciate marigolds. I bought a bunch to plant containers for my friends wedding shower (her colors were orange and fuschia). I only used the blooming plants in the arrangments. I tucked the extras into my own pots and they are blooming now. Marigolds can be so pedestrian, but they are cheery!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dianne, Be sure to post a pic when your cardinal flowers bloom!

    Kasmira, Yes, it is normal. Some people claim that if you cut them back, they will rebloom. I, however, have NEVER had mine rebloom. They are simply done for this year (the foliage will remain nice and green though).

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate you taking the time and effort to leave a comment. I will try to answer any questions you have. Please note due to Blogger changing word verification so almost nobody can read it, I have had to change to no word verification and only allow registered users to comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...